


Writing History

by Stoic_Zee



Category: Bleach
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Out of Character, Time Travel, because of time travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-20
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-08 12:48:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18894970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoic_Zee/pseuds/Stoic_Zee
Summary: The Gotei 13 are the strongest they have ever been. The treaty between the Quincy and shinigami is holding steady. The Arrancar Alliance has created shaky but undeniable peace between Hueco Mundo and Soul Society. The afterlife is approaching a Golden Age.Then, in what should be a routine captains' meeting, 12th Division Lieutenant, Aizen Sosuke, accidentally restores Kurosaki Ichigo's memories and power, and the truth slowly comes to light. Aizen has spent the last century orchestrating this age of prosperity because the world has fallen to ruin once, and if they lack the strength, the worlds will collapse again.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” – Winston Churchill

“There he is,” said Miyako quietly.

“There who is?” asked Kaien distracted by the agenda for the day’s meeting. The discussion points submitted by the different divisions were mostly routine, but Central 46 had added a handful of action items to the docket less than an hour before. He was still trying to work his way through the attached appendices and not having much success.

“Didn’t you want to talk to Aizen-fukutaichou before the meeting started?” asked Miyako. 

Kaien looked up and followed his wife’s line of sight. There was the lieutenant of 12th Division hovering at the edge of the meeting hall. He’d take his place next to Urahara when the meeting was called to order, but the man disliked socializing and tried to avoid people when he could.

Kaien looked down at the packet. He really wasn’t making much headway, and he did want to talk to Aizen before things got started. With Central 46’s last minute add-ons there was sure to be at least one fight. No one wouldn’t be in the mood to discuss patrol rotations in the outer districts after that.

“Thanks, love,” said Kaien. “Keep an eye on Ukitake-taichou.”

“You should worry about yourself,  _ Captain _ Shiba,” said Miyako. “You haven’t been his lieutenant for twenty years.”

Kaien grinned at his wife and kissed her softly on the cheek. He dodged her retaliatory punch and darted into the safety of the crowd. 

In the old days, captains’ meetings were limited to captains only and were special sessions called because of emergencies or the rare promotion. These days captains’ meetings were monthly affairs including captains, lieutenants, seated officers serving above and beyond the call of duty, kido corps members, Academy teachers, Arrancar-alliance representatives, Quincy representatives, and anyone who had a proposal or information that Yamamoto-soutaichou deemed relative to the safety of Soul Society. As a result, the meeting hall was a madhouse of powerful people running around, catching up on gossip, making plans, and doing who else knew what.

Coming from a loud family, Kaien loved it. People like Aizen and Kaien’s own 3rd seat, Hitsugaya Toshiro, who were natural loners, dreaded the monthly meetings. Hitsugaya was already standing in his spot talking quietly with Rukia. The chilly feeling produced by two ice-zanpakuto users standing in close proximity kept most people away. Kaien practiced his family’s fire-spells religiously and stockpiled blankets in his office back at the 10th.

Kaien reached Aizen and launched immediately into the matter he wanted to discuss— rotating patrol in the outer districts more effectively with the divisions currently involved—without engaging in any small talk other than a brief hello. Aizen, for all his skill at conversation when schmoozing with nobility and older captains, hated feigning interest in other people. Kaien didn’t know exactly why Aizen favored the Shiba family so much when they were antithetical to his entire existence, but Kaien tried to make their conversations easier on the other man and that meant getting straight to business.

Kaien was letting the 12th’s lieutenant talk him into the idea of mixed patrols—with a buffer provided by 6th, 9th, or 10th division there was no reason 4th and 11th division shinigami couldn’t patrol together—when the other person he wanted to talk to today walked into Kaien’s line of sight.

“Oi, Ichigo!”

His little cousin turned at the sound of his name, raised a hand in greeting, and started to make his way over. 

Since the meetings first expanded, the Quincy representatives had always included the bearer of the Quincy Cross, another non-heir member of the first’s family, and one member of two other Quincy families. Right now that meant Ishida Souken and an Ishida who wasn’t Ryuuken. Today that was Souken’s grandson, Uryuu. 

The other two Quincy were supposed to be randomly selected from the remaining families. One of them, Saito Chiyo, was the oldest daughter of the Saito Clan Head and had last visited Seireitei more than a year before. But, ever since Uncle Isshin’s marriage to Aunt Misaki, the Quincy insisted on sending a Kurosaki, usually Ichigo, as a reminder of the union between Quincy and Shinigami.

According to Urahara and Aizen, once Ichigo reached a certain threshold of power, Isshin and Masaki would get their own powers back free of Hollow-corruption. Kaien hoped it was sooner rather than later. The Kurosaki family had been forcing Ichigo to attend these meetings since he was ten. If his parents got their powers back, then Masaki could stand in a room full of captains without collapsing, and Ichigo could get his life back for a little while.

At his side, Kaien felt Aizen prepare to withdraw.

“You know, no one blames you for that Hollow getting loose. Hell, Ichigo and my other cousins wouldn’t even exist if it hadn’t, and Masaki would be dead if you hadn’t gone down with Isshin,” said Kaien.

“What is your point?” asked Aizen.

Kaien sighed in frustration. “You don’t need to runaway from the kid. Ichigo likes almost everyone he meets. And he doesn’t know you except as that shinigami who saved his mom’s life.”

“I know,” said Aizen. His voice was filled with unmistakable regret and despair.

Kaien’s mouth dropped open in shock at hearing  _ genuine emotion _ from  _ Aizen _ . He turned to the lieutenant to double-check who he was speaking to and found shadowed, haunted eyes. 

Aizen never admitted to anything, but he never denied the accusations of heartlessness, psychopathy, or sociopathy thrown his way, which made it such a puzzle that he was such a staunch advocate of social reform. Kaien wasn’t sure how to comfort somehow who denied the existence of his own feelings. He wasn’t even sure what had upset Aizen in the first place

In the meantime, Ichigo had picked his way across the hall. He was practically on top of them when the 11th Division sprinted by, doubtlessly spurred on by Yachiru-fukutaicho, and the combined mass and spiritual pressure of Captain Zaraki and his closest followers made Ichigo stumble.

Aizen held out his hand automatically. Ichigo grabbed the offered hand to steady himself. Then Ichigo exploded.

At least, that was Kaien’s best guess at what happened when he went flying into the nearest wall, blown away the sudden incredible force of his cousin’s spiritual pressure. He thought it felt like his cousin’s spiritual pressure, except that anything with that much power couldn’t be human. There was simply too much power, and it was still growing. Kaien would have been crushed were it not for an equally powerful force that felt distressingly like Aizen’s reiatsu pushing Ichigo’s back.

The overwhelming force disappeared as abruptly as it had arrived. Kaien heaved himself into a sitting position, blinked the spots from his vision, and gaped at what he saw.

Ichigo, an adult Ichigo—and okay, Kaien could maybe see the resemblance to himself now—had taken the place of his little cousin. He wore a long, tattered black coat and had a zanpakuto strapped to his back, which he had definitely not owned before. But the strangest part was that he had his arms wrapped around Aizen’s neck and was smiling at the lieutenant in utter delight.

Aizen’s expression was one of awe slowly shifting into almost shy pleasure. He had settled his hands gently at Ichigo’s waist. Kaien considered the horrifying possibility that he may have to defend his baby cousin’s honor if he could manage to stand.

“Kurosaki Ichigo,” rumbled Aizen in an intimate purr. “Does this world meet your approval?”

“Much better, my love,” answered Ichigo. His voice was clear and pure as a struck bell, but there was a undertone, or perhaps an overtone, of vicious glee that added an echo to the shocking words in Kaien’s mind. Ichigo almost sounded like a Hollow.

“Ichigo!”

Kaien looked past the enamored couple—what else could they be?—and saw that everyone else had been equally flattened by the unexpected explosion of spirit pressure. Even Zaraki was down on one knee looking surprised to find himself there.

Ishida Souken, who had been the one to call out, was already on his feet. He looked understandably distressed by the transformation his grand-nephew had undergone. Kaien suspected he should look equally distressed, except he was pretty sure he had a concussion. He had managed sitting up out of sheer necessity but standing up was not on his to-do list.

“A moment, my love,” said Ichigo pulling away from Aizen. The weird emotional doubling sounded vexed or perhaps forlorn. Kaien didn’t like it.

Ichigo lifted a silver chain from around his neck which held a Quincy cross. It was a simple five-pointed cross. It was not the beautiful four-armed spiral that Kukaku and Ganju had spent hours shaping to represent Ichigo’s equal ties to the Kurosaki Clan and House Shiba.

“Heads up,” said Ichigo with wicked glee in voice. He hurled the five-pointed cross over the bodies of dazed shinigami straight into Uryuu’s chest.

There was another, smaller explosion of reiatsu. Kaien closed his eyes against the blast wave, but as in all other things Uryuu had more control than his cousin. His spiritual pressure had only just edged into a captain’s level before plummeting to almost nothing. Uryuu felt, if anything, weaker than before. His strength was completely hidden away.

Kaien chanced a peek. Uryuu was on his feet. He, too, was older though not particularly old. The left lens of his glasses had been completely blacked out to hide the eye or perhaps some gruesome wound done to the eye. Instead of the traditional Quincy white he wore a pale blue frock coat trimmed in silver and cream. He pulled the five pointed cross out of his chest and hung it around his neck, seemingly unbothered by the blood or the wound it left behind.

“You could have just handed it to me,” said Uryuu pointedly.

“I could have,” agreed Ichigo. There was a laughingly false innocence to his tone.

Uryuu rolled his eyes. Apparently, he wasn’t overly annoyed about being stabbed in the chest with his own cross. He shifted his gaze to the man standing next to Ichigo.

“Aizen, what exactly did you do to delay Auswählen?” he asked.

Next to him, Chiyo and Souken both stiffened in alarm. Kaien didn’t realize there was anything other than Hollow and Shinigami that could alarm Quincy, but it wasn’t a term he had heard before.

Aizen adjusted his glasses with his free hand. The other rested carefully on Ichigo’s waist, keeping him close but not holding him there. For his part, Ichigo seemed to content to lean into Aizen now that he was done throwing things at people.

“I used a kido to slow his perception of time. It was one of the first things I did upon my return, so the man is more than a century out of date,” said Aizen.

“Clever,” said Uryuu. The admittance clearly pained him.

Aizen looked like he appreciated the compliment as if it mattered to him that a sixteen year old thought he was clever.

“I am going to look around while you two reacquaint yourselves,” said Uryuu. “Don’t forget we have school on Monday.”

“Ugh,” said Ichigo his disgust plain to hear. “Don’t get yourself noticed.”

“Please, I’m not you,” said Uryuu. 

Uryuu waved a hand at his clothes and they reformed into something entirely new. He was in Quincy whites again only they were less foreign priestly and more militant. Souken and Chiyo both recoiled in shock. Unohana-taichou cursed loudly and started gathering reiatsu.

Uryuu disappeared from sight. He didn’t use hirenkyaku. The Quincy technique could be faster than shunpo if directed by a skilled user, but it wasn’t that fast. Uryuu hadn’t moved. He was simply gone. 

In contrast Ichigo took a step away from Aizen, smiled at the fukutaicho, and vanished with a buzz of sound closer to sonido than shunpo.

“Can’t catch me!” Ichigo called. His voice, wild and gleeful, echoed through the chamber.

Aizen smiled, a vicious predatory gleam sparked in his eyes, and he Flash-Stepped away at a higher speed than Kaien had ever seen from the lieutenant. A blur of motion behind them was Yoruichi, no doubt hoping to catch up to them both and get some answers. Kaien suspected for the first time ever that the Goddess of the Flash might be too slow.

Now that the most interesting parts seemed to be over, Kaien was considering lying back down. The adrenaline of that first explosion was expended, and Kaien had decided his probable concussion was a definite concussion. He was hoping that people would forget all about him and his connection to Ichigo, at least for a little while.

His lieutenant and 3rd seat tracked him down just as the yelling started.

“Are you alright, captain?” asked Toshiro dubiously.

“Could be worse,” said Kaien. He could have been completely pancaked instead of lightly trampled.

“You have a concussion,” said Rukia bluntly.

“I’ll get someone from 4th,” said Toshiro.

“Wait!” said Kaien. “Maybe not Unohana.”

It was one thing to know that Unohana was one of the oldest and strongest captains. It was another thing to feel her go for her sword in response to a costume change.

“Ask Kiyone,” said Rukia quietly.

Toshiro nodded and went to track down the female half of 13th Division’s 3rd seat duo/comedy routine. He returned shortly after with Kiyone and Miyako, who looked relieved at the sight of him. It took Kiyone less than a minute to heal his head. She was improving at a rapid pace.

“You disappeared when Ichigo”—Miyako made a helpless exploding gesture with her hands that pretty much mirrored Kaien’s understanding of the situation—“I was concerned.”

“I am still concerned,” said Kaien rising to his feet. “What am I supposed to tell Isshin and Masaki? Your kid is no longer a kid. Also, he’s sleeping with Aizen?”

“Ah,” said Rukia with dawning revelation.

“What about this situation possibly makes sense?” demanded Toshiro.

Rukia blushed. “It is just that Aizen-fukutaicho does not like people very much, yet he has generated most of our modern social welfare reform, and Kurosaki-kun generally wants people to be happy.” 

There was a beat where none of them shared in her understanding and Rukia added, “Nii-sama also does a number of things that he would otherwise have no interest in doing in order to please Nee-sama.”

Kaien struggled to keep a straight face. He got it now. So did Miyako and Kiyone. Toshiro still looked dubious. All his power meant Toshiro was very young and that he would stay that for a long time. Kaien appreciated the directness of his point of view, but there was a reason he had made Rukia his lieutenant and kept Toshiro as 3rd seat. Apparently, it was for revelations like these.

“Is this a sex thing?” asked Toshiro suspiciously when it was clear everyone else had caught on.

“Sort of. But it’s mostly a love thing,” corrected Miyako. “Aizen-fukutaicho is very handsome and could have lots of sex partners if he wanted. But he is a very hard person to love.”

Ichigo had declared Aizen as his love in front of the most powerful souls in the afterlife. No wonder Aizen had looked so awestruck and held Ichigo so carefully. No wonder he looked so devastated when Kaien said Ichigo didn’t know him.

Kaien took a breath to steady himself and rose to his feet. “Alright. This meeting isn’t happening today. So, Rukia, Toshiro, hang around for awhile to see if you can find out any gossip. If not, head back to 10th and work on the backlog for a few hours. The next few weeks are going to be terrible. Kiyone, let Ukitake-taichou know Miyako and I are escorting the Quincy back to Karakura.”

The three of them saluted and darted into the crowd of noisy shinigami. From the feel of the reiatsu in the air, the Arrancar had already disappeared. Kaien and Miyako approached the two remaining Quincy, who had drawn close to nearest the wall. 

Souken looked stunned. He was still staring at the spot where his grandson disappeared. Saito Chiyo looked nervous. While careful not to direct energy into it, she kept fingering the eight-pointed cross hung about her neck. 

“Quincy-sama,” said Kaien as respectfully as possible. “We’ll take you home now if you wish it.”

Chiyo glanced at Souken, who seemed oblivious, and gently hooked her arm through the older man’s. She nodded firmly, her earlier nervousness replaced by resolution.

“Thank you, Captain, Lieutenant,” she said formally. “An escort to the Living World would be much appreciated. Perhaps you can explain what happened to our elders.”

“We can only explain what we saw,” said Miyako as they started walking.

“That is more than enough,” said Chiyo. “The Quincy must call our own meeting.”

“Is that so? Will you be discussing...what was the word?” asked Kaien.

“Auswählen,” said Miyako quietly. 

Fear shot through Saito’s expression like a lightning bolt and she gripped her cross so hard her hand started to bleed. “Yes. We thought we had escaped. But we will have to prepare for his return after all.”

“Who?” asked Kaien directing the Quincy toward the door and watching anxiously as his wife placed her body between the angry shinigami and the frightened Quincy.

“Yhwach,” said Souken speaking at last. “The Emperor of the Wandereich and the doom of us all.”

Kaien paled. That sounded bad, but it didn’t explain what had happened to Ichigo or Uryuu or Aizen. Uryuu had implied that he and Ichigo would return to their normal lives. Kaien could wait until then to have his answers.

Kaien remembered the last minute changes to the day’s agenda courtesy of the Central Chambers and hoped the Central 46 had as much patience.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the intro to an idea I've had kicking around in my brain for awhile, so I'd appreciate some feedback. Rating will go up for others chapters.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: semi-explicit sex  
> ends at the scene break if you want to skip

Sosuke raced after Ichigo barely sparing a thought for the Shihoin princess pursuing them both. She fell behind soon enough, and Ichigo’s speed increased with every step. He glanced at Sosuke whenever he got close. Ichigo’s eyes were a tawny amber suspended halfway between human brown and Hollow gold. There was a wild light in his gaze that anyone remotely civilized would call madness. Sosuke knew madness intimately. In Ichigo’s gaze, he saw unfettered power.

They left Soul Society and danced across the sands of Hueco Mundo. They slid sideways into mind-breaking bowels of Hell and flew through the halls of the Soul King’s palace. Ichigo led Sosuke in a merry chase through the Living World. Transcendent as the both were, they could be seen easily by even spiritually null humans, but Ichigo kept them just far enough away from living souls that none died or even suffered for their presence.

Sosuke caught Ichigo at last in the Precipice World. A smooth pivot to dodge the Kototsu slowed Ichigo just enough for Sosuke to catch the edge of his coat and tug man into his arms. Ichigo came willingly, pressing his body close to Sosuke’s, and pushing his face close enough to kiss but not closing the distance.

Sosuke’s heart thundered in his chest. His body ached from the strain. His legs and arms trembled. He had not pushed himself even half as hard since arriving in the past. There had been no need. No reason to risk his discovery. No desire to test his new limits without a worthy opponent to test them against. 

A silent query from the sleepy hogyoku.  _ Did he want the damage repaired? _

Sosuke dismissed the idea. Ichigo made him feel alive as few things ever had before or after his time in Muken. Every sense of Sosuke’s was keyed up to the max, focused entirely on Ichigo. The sound of his breaths, the scent of his sweat, the feel of him in Sosuke’s arms, the sight of his bright, vicious grin. Sosuke closed the distance between them to savor his taste as well.

The world rocked around them. Sosuke pulled away just enough to see they were surrounded by the wreckage of the Kototsu. The Cleaner had circled around to destroy them and met its end instead.

“That was good,” murmured Ichigo. “Well done, my love.”

Sosuke hated to belabor the point, but the uncertainty gnawed at him over the years since their last parting. “We have never been lovers.”

Ichigo had the audacity to laugh at him, but he only clung tighter when Sosuke tried to pull away. “No, I’m sorry. You’re right. But we could fix that now. If you know a place where we won’t be disturbed.”

Sosuke wasn’t entirely mollified. “Why me? Because I could carry your soul to the past?”

Ichigo shook his head in denial. He lifted at hand to trace a path around Sosuke’s eye. His fingers brought a rush a warmth and a reminder of Sosuke’s first experience of gentleness since entering Muken. There had been other things since, but Ichigo was the one who brought Sosuke back to himself.

“I need someone who will delight in my power and not flinch away from it. I need someone who can challenge me in strength and wit. I need someone who bear the weight of my feelings and not drown in them,” said Ichigo meeting Sosuke’s gaze evenly.

Sosuke felt his heart skip a beat. “And what do I need?”

“You need someone who can stand beside you at your highest highs and who will not forsake you at your lowest lows, who can see all of what you are and accept you man and monster,” said Ichigo. “Am I wrong, my love?”

Acceptance sounded so easy but was almost impossible to achieve, yet Ichigo was famous for accomplishing the impossible. The small flame of hope rekindled by Ichigo’s startling appearance grew brighter and warmer in Sosuke’s chest. But Sosuke knew he was more fragile now, or more aware of his own fragility than he had ever been before, and Sosuke had learned to be careful of others. 

“Even if you call me your lover, I am not certain that I can love you or anyone at all,” he cautioned. 

Ichigo smiled, an odd combination of proudly smug and gently fond. “That would be nice, but I don’t need that from you. I need you to respect me and accept that I love you. And that will be enough.”

A burden Sosuke didn’t know he was carrying lifted from his shoulders. Respect was well within his capabilities. He already respected Ichigo’s power and determination. Sosuke would learn to cope with the love. He saw no other option for his happiness.

Sosuke leaned down to kiss Ichigo again. This time there was nothing to distract them. Ichigo’s lips parted easily under his. He let Sosuke explore his mouth, learn his taste, and then Ichigo’s tongue surged forward battling for dominance. Sosuke finally withdrew out of habit rather than any real need to breathe.

“I have a safe house of sorts in the Rukongai,” he said. “There’s a bed there.”

“Perfect.”

Ichigo grinned at him. His tawny amber eyes gleamed bright with desire and possessive heat. It was long-held wisdom in Soul Society that Hollows attacked their loved ones first. Considering the look in Ichigo’s gaze, Sosuke felt himself pleased at the prospect.

Sosuke pulled out of Ichigo’s hold. “Catch me, if you can.”

The laughing howl of Ichigo’s Hollow-self filled the air as he Flash-Stepped away. 

Sosuke stopped in a tenement building in the 43rd district of Rukongai. The area was just respectable enough that he could pay for room and not expect the landlord to rent it out while he was away. Of course, Kyoka Suigetsu ensured the landlord didn’t know how frequently Sosuke was physically present, and the wards around the room both disguised the spiritually energy of its occupants and discouraged entry. No one would want to rent the room or steal from it.

Sosuke was prepared to wait one second before moving on to his next safe house. For once being caught was Sosuke’s prefered option, but he would never abandon a game in progress. Just as he tensed to take a step, overwhelming spiritual pressure—a seamless blend of deathly and living energies—filled the room. Unnoticeable in the large meeting hall in 1st Division and the open spaces through which they had traveled, Ichigo’s power cracked and sparked against the wards as it doubled then tripled in density in order to fill the tiny space.

Sosuke sent a wave of power down, reinforcing the floor beneath his feet. That was enough of a delay for Ichigo himself to appear behind Sosuke and place his hands on Sosuke’s shoulders.

“Does this mean I win a prize?” asked Ichigo.

“Winner’s choice,” said Sosuke shivering as Ichigo kissed the back of his neck.

“In that case, I already miss being inside you,” said Ichigo pressing close as if Sosuke could mistake his meaning.

The feeling of Ichigo’s cock pressed against his buttocks, even separated by layers of clothes, made Sosuke’s own cock stir with interest. He was almost surprised. It had been a very long time since Sosuke felt desire for anything but power. But Sosuke had long ago learned that Ichigo shattered expectations and boundaries like eggshells.

“Winner’s choice,” reiterated Sosuke. “But I demand we use a futon.”

Ichigo laughed. “Fair enough.”

Sosuke was about to direct his soon-to-be-lover to the nearest closet where he kept his linens but was suddenly subject to the sensation of a million tiny ants crawling across his skin. Just as suddenly, the feeling vanished, Sosuke and Ichigo were both naked, and there was a new futon lying atop the tatami.

“What,” said Sosuke.

“Just a little reishi manipulation,” said Ichigo.

While Sosuke’s mind processed the fact that Ichigo had used their clothes to make a futon and all the possibilities such a power represented, the man in question took advantage of Sosuke’s distraction to tip him onto the newly fashioned bedding.

Ichigo’s gaze wandered over Sosuke’s body appreciatively. His eyes shifting from tawny amber to bright gold as his instincts surged to the surface and the spiritual pressure in the room shifted toward Hollow. Sosuke felt himself harden further in response.

Ichigo was sight in and of himself. He was lean with whipcord muscle. Still oddly young, not a teenager, but not old enough to be in his late twenties. His body was peppered with scars, most of them faded to near nothing with time, and no less than six that should have been fatal. Sosuke couldn’t tell if the pale white line across Ichigo’s gut was actually there, or merely his own mind providing evidence of a scar he had been responsible for creating.

“Do you have any supplies?” asked Ichigo his voice carefully even.

Sosuke gestured to another closet. “Cooking oil.” It was the reason this had been his first stop. Most of his hideouts lacked any evidence of humanity.

Ichigo had raided the closet and was kneeling between Sosuke’s legs in less than an eye-blink. It was an entirely inappropriate use of shunpo. No doubt Ichigo’s instructor would have approved immensely.

“No other visitors?” asked Ichigo as he uncorked the bottle.

“No. There has been no one,” said Sosuke propping himself on his elbows to watch.

A pleased purr, loud enough to be mistaken the rumble of a dragon, shook the room and possibly the building if the sudden shouts from outside were to be believed. Sosuke ignored them in favor of watching Ichigo liberally coat his fingers in oil and feeling them glide toward his entrance.

If in the past Sosuke had envisioned Ichigo kneeling at his feet, then this particular action had never been the cause. Currently, Sosuke found his past self’s lack of imagination appalling. Ichigo was pure power and Sosuke’s desire was the entire focus of his being.  

Sosuke was surprised by the care Ichigo was taking. He could feel the heavy pulse of Ichigo’s desire in the spiritual pressure blanketing Sosuke’s entire body, yet he maintained perfect control easing Sosuke open with one and then two fingers.

Upon adding the third, Ichigo thoroughly distracted Sosuke by swallowing his cock in one go. Sosuke gasped sharply and tangled a hand in Ichigo’s orange hair. The sensation was too much after so long. He came hard and fast.

Ichigo pulled away, licking up any stray bits of semen, and looking unbearably pleased with himself. “Very nice. I’ll be riding that next time.”

Sosuke’s cock twitched against his thigh responding to Ichigo’s words and a clever twist of his fingers.

_ Would you like your energy restored? _ whispered the Hogyoku in the back of his mind.

Sosuke didn’t even need to think the word yes for his cock to reach full hardness.

Ichigo smirked. “Instant regeneration is useful for some things.”

Sosuke had to admit he had never considered that particular Hollow ability in that light. Then he abruptly remembered that Ichigo had also manifested instant regeneration among his many powers. Theoretically, they could fuck indefinitely if Ichigo ever ceased his teasing.

Sosuke surged upwards forcing Ichigo backward and straddling his hips. “If you know that much, then you should remember I am not fragile.” Not physically at least.

Ichigo’s hands settled on Sosuke’s waist, one slick, the other dry, both burning hot. “Once we start, I won’t stop until I’m satisfied.” It was a promise and a threat.

“I expect nothing less,” said Sosuke.

He reached behind him, taking Ichigo’s hot cock in hand, and lining it up with his entrance. Ichigo watched him intently, golden eyes gone dark with want. Sosuke eased himself down slowly, allowing gravity to assist in the process, but not stopping until he was fully seated despite the uncomfortable stretch.

Ichigo waited long enough for Sosuke to adjust and then rolled them over so that Sosuke’s back was on the floor. He used the momentum of their roll to thrust deeper into Sosuke. When Ichigo moved, the whole of his spiritual pressure moved with them pushing against Sosuke from all sides.

For a half-a-breath, Sosuke wondered if Ichigo was being literal when he said he required a partner who could bear the weight of his feelings. Then Ichigo hit Sosuke’s prostate straight on, and he decided there were other matters which deserved his focus.

Sosuke raised his legs, wrapping them around Ichigo’s waist, and pulled him closer as Ichigo thrust forward. Not to be outdone in any way, Sosuke flexed his own spiritual power, surrounding the redhead, and driving him harder into Sosuke’s welcoming body. The floor groaned in protest.

Ichigo came with a shout of surprise. Warm seed filled Sosuke and a few more staggered but well-placed thrusts by Ichigo had Sosuke coming for the second time that night. As a result, it took Sosuke a minute to realize Ichigo had not softened in the slightest.

The Hogyoku restored Sosuke’s flagging erection without question.

Ichigo’s smile was all teeth. “You and I are going to have a lot fun, my love.”

“I think you’re right,” purred Sosuke. He reinforced the building floor and walls with a thought. They had the better part of two days to makeup for years of separation. It wouldn’t do to be interrupted.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Sosuke woke up warm, clean, and pleasantly sore, a combination he had not experienced in years. Deft fingers carded gently through his hair, relaxing him further. Sosuke thought he might doze for a time. He had no pressing matters to attend to until he chose to return to Seireitei, but a quiet exchange of voices drew him to full wakefulness.

There was only one person alive who had a hope of sensing either Sosuke or Ichigo when their powers were free and unbound.

“Am I naked in front of someone who wants me dead?” he asked. Keeping his eyes closed in the vain hope that Ichigo was speaking to himself.

“Yes,” said Uryuu instantly.

“You’re covered by the futon,” protested Ichigo.

Neither of them denied that Uryuu would prefer Sosuke dead. He sighed and sat up. The sheets pooled in his lap, preserving his modesty. They did nothing to hide the hogyoku peeking out from his ribcage or the scratches and bites littering his chest. He had left more than a few of his own marks on Ichigo and was a bit sad to see them covered up by a new set of clothes. 

With his own uniform lost and lacking the enviable ability to produce a complete wardrobe from thin air, which had to be manifestation of Ichigo’s Quincy abilities, Sosuke rose to his feet and walked to the closet. He ignored both Uryuu’s aggrieved sigh and Ichigo’s hum of pleasure at his nakedness and dressed himself in an informal yukata. Shame was for fools who bowed to social convention, but Sosuke wasn’t about to bare his most vulnerable points to a potential enemy. Not again.

Sosuke shivered despite his fresh clothes, suddenly longing for the warm cocoon created by his time with Ichigo beneath the futon. He wasn’t cold, exactly. Sosuke wasn’t sure someone in his condition could feel cold, but he had the feeling he should be cold and that was almost worse.

“Come here, love,” murmured Ichigo lifting a hand.

Sosuke didn’t miss Uryuu rolling his visible eye but nevertheless took Ichigo’s extended hand without question. In an oddly smooth motion, Ichigo pulled Sosuke into his lap and wrapped the futon around them both. It should have been ridiculous, Sosuke was both taller and wider than Ichigo, but that meant leaning into his lover was rather like sitting in a reclining chair. After millenia trapped in a seated position, Sosuke had developed a fondness for reclining chairs, extra-large beds, and standing desks.

Ichigo slid Sosuke’s glasses onto his face, which he appreciated. Sosuke could use the hogyoku to repair his vision and had done so when he left the Gotei 13 in the past. But upon his return to this timeline, Sosuke kept the glasses as a reminder that his new life was different from the old one.

“You look like you enjoyed yourselves,” said Uryuu once they were both settled.

“Yes,” agreed Sosuke. “Did I miss anything important?”

“Uryuu and I were making sure our memories of this timeline matched,” explained Ichigo. His voice a slow, steady rumble.

“You remember your current lives?” asked Sosuke. “I would have thought you would have overwritten your souls entirely. That’s what happened to me.”

“It was a potential problem we had discussed,” admitted Uryuu. 

Ichigo hooked his chin over Sosuke’s shoulder, and Sosuke caught a glimpse of shining gold from the corner of his eye. “Are you sure you overwrote your soul? Or do you just have two copies of identical memories of the time before you came back?”

Sosuke considered the question. There was no reason for him to have divergent memories since he was the one who had created the changes to begin with, and his memories of his youth had been strangely clear when much of his past was suspect after too long in Muken.

“It is possible,” Sosuke allowed.

“Regardless, it appears we shouldn’t have worried. We have both sets of memories, and our recollections match each other’s,” said Uryuu.

“I have a  _ lot _ of family on both sides. I even have an extra brother,” said Ichigo sounding bewildered. 

Uryuu shifted uneasily. “I also find myself with additional family and siblings.”

Sosuke nodded. He had kept close watch on the Quincy, specifically Ichigo’s family and, by sheer proximity, Uryuu’s as well. 

“I did my best to respond to distress calls from the Quincy or sent shinigami I knew to be responsible, so I am not at all shocked that you have more family than before. Increasing the number of surviving Quincy was part of the overall plan,” he explained.

Then to sate his curiosity Sosuke asked, “To my best knowledge, Kurosaki Kai was born after Masaki originally died. Is it the same with your siblings?”

Uryuu shook his head. “No. My sister is only a year younger than I and my brother only two years younger than her. It is not what I expected.”

“It’s even better,” said Ichigo immediately. “Well done, my love.”

Sosuke let the praise wash over him. Ichigo would be delighted by almost anything Sosuke did or would do. He would need an adjustment period to get over the lightness the idea brought to his heart.

“You could have restored our memories a little sooner,” said Uryuu not quite softly enough to escape notice.

Sosuke inhaled sharply against the sudden pain of remembered loss. “I would have if someone had told me that was what was going on.”

For a moment, Uryuu stared at Sosuke utterly dumbfounded. Then he shifted his gaze to Ichigo and said aghast, “You didn’t tell him  _ our _ plan? The one that depended on him transferring our future experience to our past selves?”

Sosuke could feel the sudden tension in Ichigo’s frame. He glanced at Ichigo’s face and saw the guilt in his eyes.

“I guess I didn’t,” admitted Ichigo. “I’m sorry.”

The words didn’t erase the pain of centuries of loneliness that had followed his freedom from Muken, but they eased it slightly. Sosuke had to admit if he had known that all it took would be a touch to restore Ichigo to his former self, then he likely would have stolen the babe from his parents’ arms, which would have caused a host of new problems.

Uryuu was muttering quiet deprecations against Ichigo’s intelligence but was coming to a similar conclusion. The time Ichigo and Uryuu spent with their human families in this life was important too.

“It’s alright  _ now _ ,” Sosuke said quietly to Ichigo. Louder he asked, “How is the situation in Silbern?”

Uryuu took a steadying breath and accepted the redirection. “The kido you’ve put in place is holding steady. I would estimate that he is more than a century and half out of alignment.”

“Good,” said Sosuke. “I was concerned that his powers or those of his followers would unravel the kido early.”

“Not yet they haven’t,” said Uryuu. “The Wandereich are still preparing for the revival, but morale is starting to fail since 990 years have come and gone without appreciable change. Given how easy it was to infiltrate the city, I’m considering poisoning some key members of the Sternritter.”

“Hmm, psychological warfare? Or revenge?” asked Sosuke. 

The Sternritter were strong enough to disable captain class shinigami and could easily plow through the ranks of non-Wandenreich Quincy. He could see some distinct advantages in disabling their power structure ahead of time.

“Why not both?” asked Uryuu.

Ichigo sighed heavily. “Of course you’re both like this.”

Sosuke and Uryuu ignored him. Ichigo could be subtle if needed, but he prefered direct confrontation and clear communication both on and off the battlefield. Sosuke couldn’t understand why Ichigo expected people to tell him the truth when they weren’t even honest with themselves. Yet somehow, Ichigo always seemed to reach the heart of the matter.

“Unfortunately, disposing of the Emperor isn’t as simple. He’s untouchable while sleeping and waking him up will trigger Auswählen,” said Uryuu.

“Yeah, don’t do that,” said Ichigo. “We need as many Quincy alive as possible.”

“Agreed,” said Sosuke. It was the very reason he had placed hypnosis-reinforced kido on the sleeping Yhwach rather killing the man himself.

“I do not like having him hanging over our heads like a sword waiting to fall,” grumbled Uryuu raising a hand to touch the Quincy cross hanging from his neck. 

This close, Sosuke could tell the cross was formed from the arrowhead that had been used to disable Yhwach’s powers the last time they fought. If he remembered correctly, then it was made with silver taken from the body of Uryuu’s deceased mother. What a touching, yet gruesome, momento.

“So we’ll take some time to come up with a plan and take care of it during summer break,” said Ichigo. “And don’t poison anyone until then. We don’t need some Sternritter turning to him for salvation and noticing he’s under a kido.”

Sosuke shared a surprised glance with Uryuu and twisted part way around to stare at Ichigo. Naturally, Ichigo scowled at their reaction.

“Recent mistakes aside, I am not a complete idiot,” he said.

“Of course not,” soothed Sosuke settling back into place. 

“No, but your plans do tend to boil down to attack fast and at full strength.” said Uryuu in a deceptively mild tone that suggested Ichigo not a complete idiot but still mostly an idiot.

Ichigo huffed and his breath carried a dark undertone that promised retribution. Sosuke was impressed to note that Uryuu didn’t flinch. Then again, the pair had had many centuries to solidify their friendship and learn each other’s moods. Sosuke had spent those same years in an increasingly isolated and inescapable prison.

Ichigo’s arms tightened around Sosuke’s waist, reminding him where he was now. Sosuke released the tension that had built in his frame.

“I’m a reactionary fighter. Whatever,” said Ichigo mercifully allowing Sosuke’s mental slip to pass by without comment. “Right now, there’s nothing to react to, unless the Gotei 13 is already causing trouble.”

“Likely not yet,” said Sosuke. “We departed before they could ask any questions. Though Captain Unohana was not happy to see you in your Wandereich uniform. That may put some unwanted pressure on your families.”

Uryuu grimaced. “I noticed. I hadn’t thought anyone would recognize it.”

Sosuke expressed his surprise with a deliberate blink. “Really, whyever not?”

“Humans didn’t start wearing military uniforms like the Wandenreich’s until a few centuries ago. I had assumed they were keeping up with fashion trends at the same speed as the shinigami,  but now I suspect he used his powers to take ideas from the future,” explained Uryuu.

Sosuke examined the tightness around Uryuu’s mouth and eyes. “This upsets you.”

“It means his range is longer than we thought,” explained the Quincy. 

“Maybe long enough to see what came out to play after the Soul King died,” added Ichigo.

Sosuke’s eyes widened in realization. “And his plan was to unite the Living World with Soul Society anway.” Sosuke broke into a cold sweat at the very idea. “You think the man isn’t simply insane but might have the Madness.”

“There’s no way to know for certain without waking him up,” said Uryuu his voice full of dark emotion.

“Yeah, that’s not worth worrying over,” said Ichigo instantly.

It was technically true. There was no need to worry if Yhwach had the Madness. They were going to kill him either way. But if he did, then it was entirely possible that other Quincy would be susceptible to the Madness as well, including the Soul King’s replacement. That could spell disaster worse than the Collapse.

Ichigo nipped Sosuke on the ear, making him yelp in surprise, and drawing him back into the present. Under the cover of the futon, Sosuke responded by blindly pinching whatever bit of Ichigo’s leg was closest. Ichigo jolted, curling around Sosuke and drawing him tight against Ichigo’s chest. It was a pleasantly distracting reminder of the day’s earlier activities.

“Children,” said Uryuu.

Sosuke and Ichigo both froze in place. Sosuke forced his body into a more casual position forcing Ichigo to move with him.

“Look,” said Ichigo. “It’s not like we’re planning on taking off anytime soon. So we’ll worry about what may happen when it gets here. We’ll stick to our plan.”

“You do have a plan?” asked Sosuke.

Uryuu cleared his throat. “For now, we are intending to keep to our human lives. Should the Central Chambers prove unreasonable, the Court Guard, even with your improvements, can’t cause too much trouble in Karakura if we’re both there. The real question is: what are you going to do?”

Sosuke sighed. “I suppose, I’m going to back and try to explain this mess.”

Ichigo tensed uncomfortably at his back, and Uryuu frowned. “Is that safe?”

“I didn’t spend over century trying to correct Soul Society’s flaws from the inside to abandon the project halfway,” said Sosuke. 

He hated leaving work unfinished. There were several sensitive projects he had going on in 12th that were close to producing results. And he had only just talked several captains into the idea of mixed patrols in order bolster performance and shinigami survival rates. Combining skills and covering each other’s weak points was how the shinigami maintained any sort of meaningful presence after the Collapse. In this era, with all of its resources, surely they could do better.

Ichigo sighed again. “Then how can we help?”

“You can back up my story. I intend to tell anyone who asks that I split with Soul Society around this time, returned for the battle with the Quincy Emperor, and then went my own way again until after the collapse. It would be better to avoid any mention of Muken or my attempt to take the throne,” said Sosuke.

Uryuu snorted dismissively while Ichigo chuckled. “Obviously.”

“I know some of what happened to Soul Society thanks to the shinigami that survived, enough to pass myself off as a distant observer,” continued Sosuke. “But are there any events that either of you participated in that I should know about?”

Uryuu frowned. “There are a few things perhaps. But mostly we stayed in the Living World until the Collapse.”

“You did? How?” asked Sosuke genuinely curious.

“We never died, or we never died enough to properly cycle through the afterlife,” said Ichigo as if that was a perfectly reasonable explanation instead of a gross improbability. “Eventually, we decided to ditch the politics and stay in the Living World.”

His voice sounded calm on the surface level. But the Hollow-echo beneath his words seethed with rage. Clearly, the pair hadn’t simply walked away from anything. Sosuke had a suspicion that their departure coincided with the damage to Uryuu’s left eye.

“And you encountered no problems living on Earth for so long?” asked Sosuke instead of pressing the issue. 

He wasn’t afraid of Ichigo, somewhat odd since Ichigo was one of the few in this time who could seriously hurt him, but Sosuke didn’t want to provoke Ichigo into further anger either. He wanted Ichigo to be happy or at least content. Sosuke supposed that was a sign of their growing relationship.

“We might have, but we weren’t on Earth most of the time,” said Ichigo.

Uryuu saw Sosuke’s frown and clarified. “In the future we came from, humans migrated to outer space.”

Sosuke sat bolt upright dragging Ichigo with him. “They did  _ what _ ? How?”

“Science,” said Ichigo at his back—more like to his back as he tried to pull away without ripping the futon entangling both of them.

“Tell me all of it,” demanded Sosuke.

“I think Ichigo can manage that on his own,” said Uryuu with a poorly repressed smile. “The two of you should probably spend some time actually talking with your words.”

Sosuke and Ichigo both scoffed. Sosuke had spent years with the warmth of Ichigo’s soul tucked between his heart and the Hogyoku. He knew what Ichigo was like. Sosuke wanted to hear about humans living in outer space.

“Hey, soon you’ll get to see it for yourself,” said Ichigo.

Soon was a relative term for a being that had lived thousands of years. But as Uryuu excused himself and Ichigo began explaining the future history of space travel, Sosuke decided that the imprecise nature of linear time didn’t matter. Whatever this new future held, Sosuke would not have to face it alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the positive response to the first chapter! Your comments helped me puzzle out a few problems I had when I was trying to write the second chapter, so I hope you enjoy this one too.
> 
> Thanks for reading. Comments welcome.


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